Life
by Miharu Endou
Summary: He threw a Starbucks tumbler at me when I stopped him from committing suicide. He was a jerk, but it doesn't matter anymore. I will forever treasure this item that came from the man who I realized I was in love with. REPOSTED


**Life**

A Gakuen Alice one-shot

By Miharu Endou

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own GA. This plot, however, is mine. :D

**Genre: **Romance/ General  
**Pairing: **Mikan Sakura x Natsume Hyuuga  
**Rating: **T  
**Summary: **He threw a Starbucks tumbler at me when I stopped him from committing suicide. He was a jerk, but it doesn't matter anymore. I will forever treasure this item that came from the man who I realized I was in love with. (Reposted. Some parts were changed.)

**Note: **I dedicate this one-shot to **all of the people who supported me here in this site. **You guys are the reason why I continue to write. Thank you so much! I hope you guys like it!

Yey! I'll have almost a month's worth of vacation soon, so I can write as much as I want~! I've been editing MMP and the future chapters of Taking Chances. I'll try my best to avoid grammatical errors as much as possible.

**REPOSTED! I EDITED THE PLOT. HIHI.**

Have fun reading! :D

* * *

He tried to commit suicide.

It happened four years ago. I happened to be walking in the Northern Forest when I saw a man with ebony hair and pale, white skin standing near the edge of the cliff, a Starbucks tumbler in his hand. No one really goes there because a huge 'OFF LIMITS' sign was plastered on one of the trees near it.

I stared at him, curious at what he was going to do. He looked like a normal bystander enjoying the beauty of nature, so I was about to leave when I saw him walk nearer towards the edge. I screamed at him like it was my business, and I ended up getting hit by a tumbler. He glowered at me and said something incoherent before leaving me glued to my place. His voice was full of hate. It was just so _creepy. _

I suddenly had the urge to push him off the cliff myself. But, I then laughed at myself and thanked God that I didn't leave the place. I managed to stop a stranger from taking away his life.

I took the tumbler and kept it. Who knows if I'll meet him again?

To my surprise, he was also studying in my school. He was new here, I presumed. It was the first time I saw his face and, well, the girls don't usually act all flirty and cutesy around the guys in our school, well, except on Ruka Nogi, a blonde, blue-eyed animal lover. He was a friend of mine, but I pitied him. He was usually harassed by obsessed fan girls, and with every opportunity those girls would get near him, he would usually end up half naked, his clothes torn.

Now, there are two boys in school girls would love to tackle and strip naked. I had a great feeling they would get along. I was right. Because of the girls that practically want to eat them, they helped each other escape from the hands of those deranged fans. In a span of a few weeks, they became the best of friends.

Like what I've told you before, Ruka and I were friends, and because of that, I got the chance to meet him again. His scowl worsened when he saw me. Ruka laughed nervously at the frowning lad and introduced us.

"Mikan, this is Hyuuga Natsume," He said. "He moved from the Okanoue."

Ah. So his name's Natsume. It was the first time I got the chance to look at him from up close. He had piercing blood red orbs. It was the first time I have ever seen someone with red eyes. He had short eyebrows, thin lips and a finely chiseled nose. His jaw was well-defined, and his shoulders were wide. He was tall and appropriately muscular. All in all, he was a good-looking guy. No wonder those girls ran after him.

I decided to give him my brightest smile, only to be scowled at by him. He sure knows how to give an impression.

He glared at me and said, "You're not one of those lovesick, mad freaks, are you?"

His voice was deep and firm, just like what I remember hearing before. Ruka answered for me. He said, "You don't have to worry about her, Natsume. She's harmless. I wouldn't be introducing you to her if she's one of them. We're friends."

Because of that, I got the chance to hang out with him every day. He even met my best friend, Hotaru, who was a bit just like him, laconic and not so sociable. They usually bicker with each other, and either one of them gets pissed off every time.

The four of us got used to each other's company. Since Hotaru's devoted to getting as much money as possible, she used Ruka. She started taking pictures of him and sold it to all his fan girls. Ruka couldn't do anything about it since he was afraid to experience her wrath.

"Hey," Ruka started. "Natsume's sleeping over this Friday. Do you want to come? My parents won't come 'til Christmas Eve. It's kinda lonely there."

It was the last week 'til Christmas break, so Ruka decided to invite us over since his parents were still in France. I forgot to mention that his parents were French, thus, the blonde hair and blue eyes.

Hotaru nodded her head while scanning the pictures in her camera. She smirked at Ruka and said, "Sure. I'll be getting a lot of profit if I get pictures of you and Hyuuga sleeping. You can't take back your invitation. I already accepted it."

"You're coming, too," she said to me.

I sighed and nodded my head. Natsume glared at her and said, "Don't bother. You'll only ruin the fun. I'm sure when we go to Ruka's house, the only thing you'll be doing is take pictures of us. That's just shitty."

Being the great girl Hotaru is, she had an easy comeback. She said, "Do you even know what fun means, Hyuuga? I'm sure you know shitty, but fun? I doubt it."

Natsume rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not a robot like you, Imai. I know what it means, and for your information, I know how to have fun."

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Really?"

They all stared at me. Natsume clicked his tongue and said, "I'll try to slow down so you'll understand, polka. I-know-fun. Was it slow enough for you, or do I have to slow down more?"

"I can understand perfectly, shorty! I'm not illiterate, you know."

I won't say that our relationship's been nice, with him and me insulting each other more than Hotaru and him. Every time we hang out, there isn't a time that he'd call me with my underwear, or call me stupid, or treat me stupid. At first, I just wanted to kick him in his face or flush his oh-so smug face in the toilet, but every time I remember his face when I saw him in the cliff, I stop. His face was full of agony, and… hopelessness. Those intense eyes of his were closed, and his jaw was tightened.

Because of that, I only tease back. I never take his insults seriously. Sure, at first I got hurt with all the rudeness and everything, but I got used to it. If it was the only way he could release his tension and anger, I'll let him be. That's what friends are for, right?

He just stared at me for a while, and then looked away when I smiled at him. In the four years that I've met him, I never remembered seeing him smile. He'd usually have a pissed expression, but sometimes, he'll only look blank, not calm.

* * *

When Friday finally came, Hotaru, Natsume, and I went to Ruka's house after classes. His house wasn't small, in fact, it was a mansion, but there never came a time that he flaunted it. This is what I like about Ruka. He came from a well-off family, but he still remains grounded. All those riches never go to his head, and he's as humble as a saint.

He never judged people. I came from an average family, but he never looked down at me. The only one he can insult is Hotaru. I laugh every time I see him flustered at her actions. I won't be surprised if they soon end up together.

"I have drinks here, in case you want to drink," Ruka informed, bringing a few bottles of beer in the living room.

Hotaru eyed the bottles and said, "Oh joy, liquor. It's just what I need to have you boys act wild. The fans would love some bad boy action, especially from good little Ruka over here."

He took out some more bottles and sat down the couch, a remote in his hand. He turned the TV on, then, rolled his eyes at Hotaru's remarks and said, "Yes, and if I do get drunk, I'll make sure I'll make you watch porn. Everyone would _love _seeing a flustered Hotaru."

"Hotaru never gets flustered, only pissed," I corrected.

Natsume butted in and said, "Of course she doesn't blush. She's an ice queen. Ice blocks don't change colors. It'll forever be blue."

Hotaru ignored him and prepared her camera. Her eyes glinted when she eyed the two boys. She pointed the camera lens at the two of them, "If the two of you do something embarrassing, I'll make sure I'll catch it."

The raven-haired teen sat on the couch and opened one of the bottles. He stared at me and said, "You don't drink, do you?"

I shook my head.

"Figures," he whispered.

With a swig, the bottle was left half full. I gaped at him and said, "Do you want to get drunk like hell?"

Looking unaffected by my outburst, he only shrugged and said, "I have high tolerance towards alcohol, little girl. Ruka, on the other hand, gets smashed easily. Imai'd be having fun taking pictures of Ruka later."

I sat beside him and stared at Hotaru and Ruka, who were fighting over the last piece of potato chips. Hotaru took out one of her contraptions, the Baka gun as she calls it, and pointed it straight at the blonde.

"Give it or I'll shoot," she firmly said.

Ruka didn't. I sighed. He'll be knocked out soon. Hotaru slowly pulled the trigger, and shortly, Ruka was out cold. The aspiring inventor took the chip from his limp hand, and ate it. She stared at his unconscious body and poked it softly with her feet.

I snickered. Natsume stared at me with his blood red eyes and said, "How do you do that?"

"Do what," I asked.

He placed two corners of both ends of his lips and lifted it slightly up, imitating a smile. He let go and said, "That."

"You looked constipated," I teased.

Looking annoyed, he said, "Well I'm sorry if this face wasn't built to _smile, _polka dots. Unlike you, I have too much to handle to actually have the time to smile."

My eyes softened at his reaction. I said, "Natsume, everyone is given the chance to smile. You know, with all your burdens and everything, smiling can help lift you up."

He rolled his eyes at my 'insane' idea and stood up, also muttering something like '_you're too naïve for your own good'. _He emptied his first bottle and placed it on the table, then taking two new bottles in his hand. He stood up and said to us, "I'm going to the balcony. It's too stuffy in here."

I took a bottle myself and an empty glass. I poured in some beer and tasted it, soon regretting my decision to act curious. The cold, bitter taste of the beer lingered in my mouth. After gulping it in, my throat felt hot. I made a face when I finally managed to swallow the drink.

It just makes me wonder why men like Natsume and Ruka like the taste of that… _thing. _Not only does it taste bad, it'll leave you in a hangover the next day. What's so good about that? I stared, bored, at the TV. Ruka already woke, and the two were fighting with each other again.

Apparently, Hotaru took a lot of pictures while Ruka was unconscious. She still manages to take pictures of him while he was busy shouting at her. If I didn't know them, I would presume that they're in a relationship.

Knowing that staying alone here would just continue to bore me to death, I went upstairs to the balcony where Natsume was. I found him sitting in one of the chairs, with him staring at the stars. He sighed loudly, a scowl always on his face, before drinking his beer. He was now drinking his third bottle tonight.

He sighed loudly and said, "I know you're there."

His sharp senses never cease to amaze me. I approached him and sat on the chair next to his.

"I never told you to sit beside me," He rudely said.

I ignored his impolite remark, and stared at the stars instead. I said, "The stars sure are beautiful tonight, aren't they?

He never answered. He has always been a laconic guy. I, then, asked him the question I have always wanted to ask.

"Why did you try to commit suicide, Natsume?"

Surprised, his head snapped to my side. "It's none of your business," he whispered.

I shook my head and said, "I'm your friend. I want to know."

"Why?"

I beamed at him and said, "It's because if you share your pain, or even just talk about it, somehow, things will feel much better."

Turning his attention to the stars one more, he started, "The neighborhood I used to live in accused me of something I never did, arson."

"So, you tried to commit suicide because you were accused falsely?"

He groaned and continued, "I wasn't finished. Continuing to where I was saying before you _rudely _interrupted,I was accused of arson. The subdivision I lived in was burned into flames when I was 8 years old. Most of the people living there were left homeless, and some lost loved ones. I was one of them."

"I lost my big brother and my mother. They weren't able to escape our burning house. My little sister ended up getting blind, and my dad, well, my dad changed. He blamed me for the loss of my mom and brother. My little sister, Aoi, was the only one who believed me. You know, because of all those accusations, I started to believe that I was the one who made their life miserable. There was no purpose for an arsonist to continue living if the only reasons you lived for died, or worse, treated you like _you were the one who died_."

I stared at him and asked, "Why were you accused of arson?"

Before talking again, he emptied his bottle. He then said, "Our house had a farm behind it. My parents owned it. That time, I was just loafing around there, you know, goofing off. I saw a bunch of men with a barrel of what I suppose was gas. They brought torches with them, and when they saw me, they knocked me out. I woke up alone, and the farm was already burning. Since the wind was strong that day, the fire quickly spread, sparing no one's property. I was the last one in the farm, so they accused me."

He continued, "They didn't know how hard it was for me. I… I was _eight _back then. I barely knew anything! Why would I burn something I loved? That's just stupid! After nine years, I'm still as miserable as when it happened."

He slammed the empty bottle in the table and covered his face in frustration. He said, "My father bought me a pad here in the city so that I could live away from them. He said that he did it so that I won't end up killing him and Aoi. I tried ending my life, because it was useless. I'm not worth it. No one needs to experience darkness because of me anymore. My conscience couldn't take it anymore."

The way he said it made my heart quench. I felt my face getting wet, and when I touched it, I finally realized that I have been crying the whole time. I placed my hand on his lap, causing him to look at me, and said, "Don't take away your life, Natsume. Live _for them. _And you're wrong. You _are_ worth it. I wouldn't have bothered stopping you if you weren't."

After that, things became a blur to me. The only thing I can remember were his hands pulling mine to him, and his lips on mine.

* * *

A few days after Christmas, Hotaru showed me something that was, to my utter shock, a picture of me and Natsume kissing under the stars. Hotaru and Ruka noticed that the two of us were missing, so they decided to go to the balcony only to be welcomed by our _scene. _

Hotaru said, "Took you both long enough to _actually_ make a move. Who kissed who?"

I didn't respond to her question, knowing very well that she knew the answer to it. I only continued staring the picture of the two of us _kissing. _I mean, come on, since when did _Natsume Hyuuga_ show feelings for me? If he was trying to be subtle, he's certainly doing a great job at it.

Still spaced out, someone said, "What are you looking at, little girl?"

Immediately recognizing the voice, I hid the picture. Hotaru smirked at him and said, "Oh, you don't have to worry, lover boy. It's just a picture of you and my best friend lip-locking. Who knew that emotionless little Natsume would actually like ditzy Mikan over here? Oh wait, I did. Ruka and I have been waiting for you idiots to realize what you feel for each other."

Rolling his eyes, he sat down on the chair beside me and said, "Jealous? I didn't know you had a thing for me, Imai."

"Ew," Hotaru said. "I'd rather like Ruka than an idiot like you."

"You can just admit the fact that you _do _like Ruka. It's simple, really," Natsume teased.

Was it just me, or was Hotaru turning pink? She glared at Natsume and said, "I'm wasting my time here. I'm outta here."

Natsume continued to tease when Hotaru walked away, "You can ask for my help if you want to confess."

I laughed at what he said. I just couldn't imagine Hotaru _confessing _to Ruka. It was just too out of character! He stared at me curiously and said, "Why are you laughing?"

"It's just that I can't imagine Hotaru confessing," I said, still laughing a bit.

Just then, I saw the picture that I was holding in his hands. He was staring at it intently. How the heck did he manage to take that from me? I swear it was lying in my lap under the table. He looked at me and said, "This picture looks cliché."

"Why?" I asked.

He turned his back on me and said, his voice playful, "Kissing under the stars? Come on! Everyone does it. We should do something different next time."

Before I could respond, he said, "Come on, let's follow Imai."

I wasn't able to see his face, but I was sure that something changed.

It was my birthday today, and the group decided to go to the shrine together. After we gave our praises and wishes, we went to the Northern Forest park to have a picnic.

Of course, since I was the one celebrating another year of birth, I brought all the food. Ruka, and Natsume bought a cake for me, and Hotaru brought some soda and chocolate brownie fudge ice cream, my favorite flavor.

While we were eating, Hotaru was taking pictures of every possible thing she could see. While munching on my ice cream, I said, "What's with you today?"

"I'm joining a photo competition," she said, still snapping away.

I nodded my head and said, "When's the deadline?"

"Next next week."

She stood up from the picnic blanket and took more photos. But, she stopped for a while and came back, then dragged Ruka with her. Ruka didn't have a choice but to be dragged. So, Natsume and I were left.

It felt awkward being alone with him today, since every time I see him, all I could remember is the kiss. Doesn't he ever feel awkward? I finished my ice cream and stared at the sky. I felt him tap my shoulders.

I looked at him and asked, "What is it?"

"Shouldn't birthday girls have fun during their birthdays?"

"Yeah. Why'd you ask?"

He stood up and held out his hand. I just stared at it. He glared at me and said, "When a gentleman extends his hand for a lady, the lady takes it. But, since you're not one, it's best if you still take it."

"A gentleman?" I scoffed. "Who ever told you that you were one?"

"Can't you just be obedient this once and take the damn hand already?"

I immediately took it, and he dragged me up. He held me close and started to dance. At least, I think he was dancing. I started laughing at him and said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm dancing. What does it look like?" He raised his brow.

I laughed some more and said, "You look like you need to pee."

"I'll let that pass since it's your birthday." He started twirling me around, and danced like an idiot. I've never laughed this much since… I can't really remember, but, seriously, I couldn't stop laughing.

I twirled him around, too, and surprisingly, he didn't mind. We just danced and danced until we got tired. We sat down on the picnic blanket, but I still can't help but laugh. I gave him a kiss in the cheek and said, "Thank you so much. I never knew you danced."

He smirked at me and said, "I don't. It was the first time I danced, to be honest. Doesn't that deserve more than a kiss in the cheek?"

I laughed at him, but gave him a swift kiss in the lips anyway. He stared at me, surprised that I actually did it. He looked away, his neck turning pink, and said, "Don't surprise me like that. You don't know what I might do to you if you do that again."

I wanted to tease him more, but Hotaru and Ruka came back. I smiled at Hotaru and said, "So, did you get your winning piece already?"

She nodded her head, and what was weird was she looked really happy. What made things weirder was that Ruka looked as happy as he was. She said, "It's my best work so far. Be sure to check it out. You'll love it. I'm sure of it."

"Okay, boss! Your works are already beautiful, so I'll be looking forward to it." I grinned at her.

Ruka sat beside Natsume and said, "We should check it out, too. It's a work of art." He, then, kept on nudging Natsume while grinning sheepishly.

I decided to ignore it. Maybe Ruka was just happy because it was the first day of the year. After a while, we parted ways. I didn't want to go home yet, so I decided to stroll around some more to waste time.

I saw Natsume sitting under the shade of one of the biggest cherry blossom trees in the park. I sat beside him and took something inside my bag, his tumbler from four years ago. I showed it to him and said, "You threw it to me four years ago. You should have it back."

He stared at me, and then gently shoved the tumbler back to me. He said, "Keep it."

He stood up, and I asked, "Why?"

Before leaving, he looked at me and said, "It's a reminder that you stopped me from taking my life; a reminder that we were meant to meet."

He threw a Starbucks tumbler at me when I stopped him from committing suicide. He was a jerk, but it doesn't matter anymore. I will forever treasure this item that came from the man who I realized I was in love with. I hugged the tumbler and smiled at the retreating figure.

* * *

Ruka and Natsume had soccer practice, so I went alone to the exhibit. I tried searching for Hotaru, but she was nowhere in sight, so I decided to start touring. The pictures were beautiful, sure, but it didn't leave an impact on me.

I approached a middle-aged man in a suit. He was wearing the art exhibit organizer ID, so I presumed that he worked here. I said, "Excuse me, but what is the theme of this contest?"

He smiled at me, his wrinkles slightly showing, and said, "It's about _life,_ miss. I hope you have fun looking at the photos. They're really good this year, especially the winner's piece. You have to think deep to understand. But, once you do, it'll bring you to tears."

There were a lot of pictures, big and small, black and white, colored, sepia. There were pictures of trees, mountains, an erupting volcano, a bird and a chick, and whatever else, but I still wasn't able to see Hotaru's piece.

Just when I was going to give up, in the middle of the whole room was the picture of me and Natsume shot at a distance, dancing to our hearts' content. I stared at it. The man was right, it brought me to tears. The picture was simple, but it meant the world to me. Its title was "_Life"._

A quote was written under the plate of the title. It said, "_Love gives people the reason to live."_

Now I know why this piece won. It was because for the first time in the four years we've known each other, he smiled.

And that, I believe, is life.

* * *

Soooo, what do you think? I hope you guys liked it. I had fun writing this, and I'm awfully proud of this because it's a bit longer than my usual one-shots.

Please do rate and review~~ :D

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